Nitrogen-doped carbon dots amplify growth-promoting effects in Arabidopsis thaliana via a "Maternal Stress-Progeny...

Addressing the high cost, large dosage, heavy metal risks of traditional nanomaterials, and public concerns over transgenic breeding, this work used metal-free nitrogen-doped carbon dots (CNDs) as a stress inducer in Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) to validate the "Maternal Stress-Progeny Benefit" strategy for adaptive memory seed breeding. Results showed that CND exposure in maternal (F₁) plants significantly activated superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). CNDs were absorbed by roots and inherited in F₂ seeds, establishing heritable adaptive memory. F₂ plants exhibited 67.0%-200% higher aboveground biomass within 5-30 days, 22.0% higher silique fresh weight, and 38.7% higher dry weight. Chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate rose by 98.5% and 100%, respectively, with greatly improved salt tolerance. Transcriptomics revealed 1024 differentially expressed genes enriched in hormone pathways, including upregulated YUC2/6/8/9, A-ARR/B-ARR, CYP90C1/D1, CYP85A1/A2, and PYR/PYL, and downregulated PP2C and MAPKKK17/18. Metabolomics highlighted enhanced L-aspartic acid metabolism (up 29.7%) coupled with nucleotide and phospholipid pathways. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and enzyme assays verified that CNDs show photocatalytic and peroxidase-like activities, triggering moderate ROS to prime stress memory and balance growth and resistance. This transgenerational strategy lowers CND dosage, avoids heavy metal and transgenic issues, and provides a green non-transgenic breeding paradigm for crop yield and stress resilience improvement.